What a wet November means for crops and livestock

Some areas are closing in on twice their average annual rainfall after a wet start to November.

Parts of eastern Australia will receive a soaking of rain this week, which has proved beneficial to livestock producers but is causing headaches for farmers trying to harvest a bumper grains crop.

Rainfall totals are expected to top 100mm in parts of northern NSW and southern Queensland where harvesters are already stripping what was expected to be one of the best crops in years.

Gunnedah, on the NSW Liverpool Plains, recorded 100mm on Monday and was expecting upwards of 50mm for the remainder of the week.

This week’s rain means some centres are closing in on twice their average rainfall for the year.

The best-placed districts to achieve this include Forbes, in central NSW, which has recorded 84 per cent more rain than it would expect in a normal calendar year.

A wet November is expected to slow down harvest. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Growmore Ag agronomist Jeshua Smith said crops around Young in NSW, which received dumps of 50–93mm last week, were still green and “for the most part” would receive a boost from the extra rain about two weeks out from harvest.

The rain was good timing for canola crops and would hopefully “help to bring them in”, he said, but growers were nervous that more rain on the horizon this week could stop windrowers getting in to the paddocks, and could lead to yield losses from shattering.

In Victoria, harvest kicked off slowly in the north and north west of the state over the weekend, with 820 tonnes of grain delivered to GrainCorp receival sites at Carwarp and Deniliquin.

But a wet November forecast was expected to slow down harvest for many growers.

“Growers right across north west Victoria are champing at the bit to get going but we seem to be hit with wet weather this week and forecasts of more rain are just slowing things down a bit,” Grain Growers Ltd chairman Brett Hosking said.

While the wet weather has been positive for producer confidence, many areas need to see some sun to help grow pasture.

Elders livestock manager Nigel Starick from Bendigo said the wet winter and slow start to spring has held up new-season lambs, but it has also given producers more options.

“Some can keep hanging on to lambs to get more weight on them,” Mr Starick said.

Thomas Elder Markets analyst Matt Dalgleish said while the rain wasn’t “great for harvest” it would continue to give producers confidence that livestock prices will remain high going into next year.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Sarah Scully said more rain was on the horizon this week.

South eastern NSW and eastern Victoria could expect heavy rainfall on Friday, which was expected to move into Gippsland on Saturday, she said.

She warned high soil moisture and full dams meant parts of NSW and Victoria could be vulnerable to riverine and flash flooding.